Is biographies a good niche?
Biographies is a steady niche, but we don’t see clear momentum for new channels. RPM is middle of the road, around $2.2–$5.5 per 1,000 views. 2 new channels appeared in the last 90 days, but none has broken out yet. 57% of channels are faceless, so you don’t need to show your face.
Pros
- 57% of channels are faceless
- Videos get a median of 30,633 views
- Fewer rivals: we track 7 channels here
Cons
- Numbers move nightly; a hot niche can cool down fast
Examples worth studying
The channels beating their niche average by the most, and the biggest breakout videos of the last 90 days. The full list is in the app.
Channels beating the average
Der Biograph384K subscribersShorts(opens YouTube in a new tab)15×$154 – $386ByNiche estimate, monthly
American Masters PBS268K subscribers(opens YouTube in a new tab)5.3×$1.7K – $4.3KByNiche estimate, monthly
Una Historia Real307K subscribersFaceless(opens YouTube in a new tab)1.5×$1.5K – $3.7KByNiche estimate, monthly
Breakout videos, last 90 days
- Tenía fama, dinero y 27 años… la trágica muerte del hijo de Cindy CrawfordUna Historia Real, 226K views(opens YouTube in a new tab)
11× - LES CHARLOTS : Un vrai groupe de rock oublié ?Hollywood Mémoire, 221.2K views(opens YouTube in a new tab)
10× - Rugare Gumbo — The Man Who Made Mugabe | The Last of the Dare (Full Documentary)Upright Films, 16,747 views(opens YouTube in a new tab)
7.7×
How to start a biographies channel
57% of channels in this niche are faceless, so you can start without going on camera: voiceover, stock footage, animation or screen recording.
The most common formats among the channels we track: narrated documentary / explainer (63%), person talking to camera (25%), list (Top 10 etc.) (13%).
Study the example channels below: which titles and thumbnails multiply their average, and how long are the videos?
Pick a narrower angle inside biographies: focus on one audience or one question instead of the generic videos everyone makes.
Aim for the median first: here that’s 30,633 views per video. Ship your first 10 videos in one format, then adjust from the data.
Do the math honestly: 100,000 monthly views in this niche earn roughly $220 – $550. You need 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours to monetize.
Frequently asked questions
What is the YouTube RPM for biographies?
Long videos in biographies earn an estimated $2.2–$5.5 per 1,000 views (History category). Shorts pay much less: about $0.04–$0.1 per 1,000 views. RPM also shifts with your viewers’ countries and the ad season.
Can you run a faceless biographies channel?
57% of the 7 channels we track here are faceless. The most common formats: narrated documentary / explainer (63%), person talking to camera (25%), list (Top 10 etc.) (13%).
How competitive is the biographies niche?
We track 7 channels. In the last 90 days 2 new channels appeared and none beat the niche’s usual views 3×. We haven’t seen new channels break in yet.
How much does a biographies channel make?
The median channel earns an estimated $702 – $1.8K a month and gets a median of 30,633 views per video. The estimate comes from the last 30 days of views and the niche’s RPM range; the biggest channels earn far more.